


Vod Echoy'la

by onepageatatime715



Series: Clone-Centric Sides [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Episode: s07e01 The Bad Batch, Established Relationship, Heavy Angst, Just angst, M/M, Mando'a, Missing Scene, Some Fluff, Some Romance, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 Spoilers, clone deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onepageatatime715/pseuds/onepageatatime715
Summary: Rex woke with a start, panting roughly, rubbing away the tears streaming down his cheeks as the final words of his lost vod'e swirled in his head. He sat in the dark, gasping for air as he pulled at his closely cropped blonde hair, the names and words of his fallen brothers and lost sister circling in his head. The Kaminii had said that they bred the clones to be without fear, without emotions or pain, but the longer this war dragged on, the more Rex felt that he was becoming nothing but pain.
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/CT-7567 | Rex, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & CT-5385 | Tup, Hardcase & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Clone-Centric Sides [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880248
Comments: 6
Kudos: 73





	Vod Echoy'la

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be my last fic for a couple days! I will be back though, not to worry - I am currently working on a series of fics about the relationship between Ahsoka and her brothers of the 501st. 
> 
> Also, I need a few days to scream about this news: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-bad-batch-series-announce
> 
> <3 <3 <3

_"This is our only chance; we've got to stop him!" Echo called to his vod’e._

_"Echo, look out! ECHO!" Fives screamed, his voice breaking as the shuttle exploded._

_"Live to fight another day, boys. Live to fight another day." Hardcase’s voice rang out through the com, calm and confident as he flew to his death._

_"I…I had to…he betrayed us." Dogma gasped._

_"If you see the target, shoot to kill."_

_"Belay that order, Commander Fox," Anakin snapped._

_"She has killed troopers!"_

_"I know Commander Tano. She would never do something like this." Rex argued, fear clenching at his heart at the thought of his scared vod’ika, hunted and alone._

_“Good soldiers follow orders.”_

_“Fives...No, Fives...Come on, Fives...Don't go, stay with me,” Rex pleaded, clinging to Fives’ body as his life bled from him. “Stay with me...Fives...Don't go...”_

_“This...it's...bigger than any of us...than anything...I could've imagined...I never meant to...I only wanted to do my duty,” Fives choked out._

_“Brother. Fives. Stay with me, Fives. Fives!” Rex all but screamed, his voice rough._

_“The mission...the nightmares...they're...finally...over....”_

~~~

Rex woke with a start, panting roughly, rubbing away the tears streaming down his cheeks as the final words of his lost _vod'e_ swirled in his head. First Echo at the Citadel, then Hardcase and Dogma on Umbara, then Ahsoka walking away from him and the Jedi Order, and now Tup and Fives, dead at the hands of a _vod_ … Rex keened quietly, pulling his knees up to his chest, his breath coming in short gasps as he fought for control over his mind and body. Dead, dead, _dead_ …

He hit his com, punching in the code arbitrarily, his breathing rough and shallow as he waited.

“Cody here,” his _cyare_ ’s voice said through the com, unnaturally alert for this hour of the night. Likely he had still been awake, finishing reports for his General. Anaxes had created a lot of those reports, as _vod_ fell mercilessly to the Separatists, seeming to know their next move before they themselves knew it.

“Codes,” Rex ground out, his voice breaking on the name.

“ _Osik_ ,” Cody cursed in Mando’a. He could hear the pain in Rex’s voice, even through the com. “I’m on my way, Rex’ika.”

The com cut out, and Rex sat in the dark, gasping for air as he pulled at his closely cropped blonde hair, the names and words of his fallen brothers and lost sister circling in his head. He barely heard when Cody punched in the code to enter his room, only noticed that his _cyare_ was there when Cody pulled Rex to him, settling Rex on his lap as he dropped to sit on the cold, durasteel floor.

“Rex’ika,” Cody breathed, his hands gently pulling Rex’s own out of his hair, smoothing the hurt. Then his thumb was on Rex’s face, brushing away his tears as he hummed softly, his other hand dropping to Rex’s back as he rubbed calming circles along his body.

Rex pressed his body into Cody’s, his own now shaking with silent sobs as his grief threatened to overtake him. The _Kaminii_ had said that they bred the clones to be without fear, without emotions or pain, but the longer this war dragged on, the more Rex felt that he was becoming nothing but pain.

“Rex’ika, look at me,” Cody said softly, even as his voice carried its natural authority. Rex looked up slowly, his face mere inches from Cody’s.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong,” Cody murmured, leaning forward so that their foreheads were touching. When Rex didn’t immediately answer, Cody repeated himself in Mando’a. “ _Gedet’ye,_ Rex’ika.”

Rex nuzzled back into Cody’s neck, hoping that the fabric of his blacks would muffle his words, or at least mask the pain in his voice. “I lost them, Codes, and I can’t bring them back.”

“What brought this on?” Cody asked gently. Rex shook his head against Cody’s neck.

“I still hear their voices, Codes,” Rex explained, the pain in his voice evident. “Their pain, their deaths, they’re always there, waiting for me when I close my eyes.”

Cody sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around Rex as he kissed his head gently.

“ _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la_ ,” _Not gone, merely marching far away,_ Cody murmured into Rex’s hair. Rex yanked away from Cody at the words, his body crying out at the loss of contact, even as his muscles clenched up with anger and hurt.

“But they are gone, Codes,” Rex choked out harshly. “I held Fives while he died. I couldn’t save him!”

Cody brought a hand to Rex’s chin, drawing his face back towards to his own. “Rex’ika, look at me.”

Rex tried to pull his chin away, to nuzzle back into the warmth of his _cyare_ ’s chest, to look away – anything to hide the pain and fear he knew was written plainly on his face – but Cody held fast.

“ _Nayc_ ,” Cody said firmly. “Look at me _cyare_. Their deaths are not your fault. You can carry them in your heart; you should include them in your remembrances; but don’t you ever blame yourself for their deaths.”

Rex sighed, but nodded quietly, and Cody leaned forward to capture his _cyare_ ’s lips in a gentle kiss. Rex relaxed slightly at the touch, returning the kiss with a need he hadn’t known he had.

“Let’s get you back to bed, _cyare_ ,” Cody murmured, rising with Rex still on his lap. His _cyare_ slid down his body in a way that went straight to his core, but he pushed aside his desire as he helped Rex back into his bunk, crawling in behind him.

They cuddled in silence for several moments, Cody waiting for Rex to share whatever still had his muscles clenched beneath his blacks, or for him fall back to sleep.

“Codes?” Rex asked softly after several more minutes.

“Mm?” Cody said, nuzzling closer to Rex, his arms coming up to wrap themselves more securely around him.

“Promise me that you’ll never leave,” Rex murmured.

Cody froze, and forced himself to answer honestly, despite the way it made his heart clench. “You know I can’t promise that, Rex’ika.”

After several long moments of silence, Rex sighed. “I know, I just wish that you could.”

“ _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum_ ,” _I love you,_ Cody murmured softly, planting another kiss on the back of Rex’s neck.

~~~

The next day, Rex found himself alone in the barracks, helmet discarded as he regarded the photograph he held in his shaking hands. Cody stood out in his 212th gold, smiling as he stood beside Rex, who had his elbow propped on Fives’ shoulder. To their left, Fives and Echo stood tall, helmets in hand, smiling alongside their _al’verde_ and _alor’ad_.

Rex brushed his thumb along Echo’s profile, his mind reeling.

What if he could bring his brother back?

_Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la._

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a Translations: 
> 
> Vod Echoy'la - Brother Lost  
> Vod'e - Brother (plural)  
> Vod'ika - Little Sister/Brother  
> Vod - Brother (singular)  
> Cyare - Lover, Beloved  
> Osik - Shit  
> Kaminii - Kaminoan  
> 'Ika - Diminutive Suffix (Little, Small, Young)  
> Gedet’ye - Please  
> Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la - Not gone, merely marching far away.  
> Nayc - No  
> Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - I love you  
> Al’verde - Commander  
> Alor’ad - Captain


End file.
